Critical Reflection On Adolescent Risk-taking Behavior And Its Influencers

Summary of traditional research

I personally feel that there is no magic formula for personal development. Every individual is on a personal journey, in a unique situation and with his own set of problems or opportunities. What add to the distinctiveness of the situation are individual strengths and weaknesses?   But one thing is for sure, nobody is perfect. This is what I have learned when I look back at my growing years and my risk-taking behaviors.  During my college years, I had no control over alcohol drinking and was into drugs.

Adolescents carry a tendency to take risk behaviors as they get influenced by their environmental and peer pressures and seek out more stimulation without considering the risks or the disadvantages.

The majority of adolescence is already into risk-taking behaviors such as drug, tobacco and alcohol use. Social scientists assert that the behaviors are influenced by the intention, the knowledge, habit, and environmental constraints. The intention to change behavior is influenced by factors such as social norms, attitude toward behavior, self-concept, emotions, beliefs, and expectations (Sadzaglishvili, 2017). When the adolescent engages into risk-taking behavior, one should study their attitudes towards the behavior, the peer pressures, their perceived social images and how they relate emotionally to the behavior or perceive its advantages and disadvantages. Today, teenagers are addicted to the Internet, technology and social media. They are under the impression that social media can strengthen their social relations and are not aware of the risks involved in online communication with strangers in the virtual world (Lareki, Martínez de Morentin, Juan Ignacio, Altuna & Amenabar, 2017). This is a new risk or addiction that was not there in my times. Still, it is good to know educational efforts and effective interventions by teachers and parents can prevent these risks of excessive use of technologies. Substance abuse, aggression, and addictions are seen as problem behaviors among teens. There is a rise in the psychological distress and problem behaviors among young adults. Negative mood symptoms can develop due to substance use and aggression, and thus targeted interventions are indicated (Ranney et al., 2018).

Scientific studies reflect that risk-taking behavior has little to do with age, gender, and depressive symptoms. It was the psychosocial maturity that had the significant but indirect effect on risk-taking behaviors and is a much better predictor of the risk-taking behavior as stated by Pailing, Renate & Reniers (2018). MRI studies reflect that the teenage brain is unique because of the increased networking within the brain. While the limbic system that is responsible for emotions intensifies during this age, the prefrontal cortex that controls the impulses does not mature until the 20s (Giedd, 2015). It is this mismatch within the teens’ brains that makes them prone to risk-taking as well as flexible to adapt to their environment. Risk-taking behaviors may have the possibility of getting the desired, beneficial outcome but there is always the risk of unwanted consequences. Adolescence is characterized by an unbalanced surge in risk-taking behavior. An excessive risk-taking behavior can even lead to death or other calamities (Pailing, Renate & Reniers, 2018).

Critical reflection

The developmental changes seen during adolescence have much to do with the decision-making and risk-taking behavior. Any wrong decisions can raise the risk of risk-taking behaviors such as substance use, excessive internet use, and gambling. Results on the study of the addiction vulnerability in youth reflect that developmental changes during puberty behaviors involve brain areas. However, peer pressure and individual differences too have a role to play in decision-making and risk-taking behaviors (Balogh, Mayes & Potenza, (2013). Brain-based changes impact the cognitive and emotional processing in the teenagers, and this is what makes them more vulnerable towards additive and risk-taking behaviors.

I remember my early college days, and it was a phase of mixed feelings and emotions. I was going away for the first time form my hometown. It was a bit sad and at the same time I was excited to move to a new place, in a new surrounding and make new friends. I was soon busy with college studies and projects and saw my family during the holidays. I made a couple of friends.

My drug use did not begin until the second year of my college. I had never smoked in high school and never used drugs socially. I remember it was one evening when I was finding it difficult to stay awake for the presentation exam the next day and was tense. A friend casually hinted taking some stimulants. I took one of those pills and felt terrific with the results. Deep in my mind, suspicions were there if this was some kind of addictive pill or drug. However, I shoved those thoughts away from my mind and just focused on the success of my presentation which was the most important at this time. And as I really felt good after taking those pills, I started using them whenever I felt the need. Thus, my experiment with drugs began on an innocent note and without much thoughts on the risks I was taking.. It was like taking a strong cup of coffee, but the effect was a lot more effective. I felt all charged up, loaded with energy and raring to go.

My friend soon showed me how I could order the pills on the Internet and thus had a ready supply whenever I needed a boost. Gradually, the frequency of the days when I needed the boos increased. Earlier it was once a fortnight, then once a week and then almost daily. It was too late, but I was hooked. My drug use escalated and so did my orders on the web. My family had no clue what was happening in my life. I was out of control and was sometime taking several pills a day. Throughout this time, I could see myself going down.  My grades had dropped, and I socialized less. I stayed within my room and preferred to be with my friends who were also addicted.

Suddenly the whole world came crashing down. I got a call from my college office, and when I went there, I saw the Drug Enforcement Agency inquiring about fraudulent orders online. And, my name was on their list. My reaction was disbelief. How could this happen to not my other friends and me? I was certainly no criminal and not the only one involved. But, I could not disclose the name of my friends and instead just focused on what the college and the Drug Enforcement Agency had to say for me.

I thought that I would be let off with a warning. But, I was totally wrong. The shame and magnitude of my tumble had just begun. Not only did I face legal consequences but was barred from going to college for the next 6 months. On top of that, I could not suffer the personal humiliation of falling from grace and face my parents and younger brother. I was no longer the image of a hardworking and studious boy. I was now tainted, not only in the eyes of my parents, college, and colleagues but also in my own. How could I have been so foolish, I asked myself? Where did I go wrong? Should I have avoided that first pill?

Fortunately, there was hope when everything was crumbling around me. I got all the support of my family and counselor. With the guidance of them and the treatment program, I soon overcame my addiction. Thankfully, it was not too difficult as I was addicted for just a year. Nevertheless, the initial months were very difficult. I had to deal with the withdrawals symptoms and at the same time deal with the shame and guilt building within me. My parent s appointed a therapist for me to address the issue of shame, addiction, and interpersonal relationship. I attended support group meetings with other students. Gradually, my life changed dramatically.

Risk-taking and decision-making are two independent features, and different factors can contribute to these features within a young adult. Environmental exposures, biological changes,

individual differences, and peer pressure can impact decision-making (Balogh, Mayes, & Potenza, (2013). In my case, it was my new environment, peer pressure and the individual difference that must have motivated me to make the decision to take the pill. I was perhaps more vulnerable. Risk perception and risk-taking behavior are influenced by behavioral inhibition and impulsiveness as well as anxiety and reward sensitivity (Reniers et al., 2016). In my case, I took the risk because of the anxiety of my presentation and reward of making a good presentation.

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime’s report approximates that about 246 million people aged between 15 and 64 years have tried drugs on at least one occasion (Taylor et al., 2018). UNODC estimates that only one in six individuals get adequate treatment. Different social and environmental factors have been noted to cause the addiction behaviors. Those addictions can further lead to health/sexual-risk behaviors, illegal activity, and poverty. I was surprised at myself as there was no history of substance abuse in my family.

I wondered if what would have happened if my college and the Drug Enforcement Agency had not found out about my drug-related activities. In a way, today I am glad they found out in time, and I was able to make a u-turn. After months of treatment, I gradually learned about my addiction, my weaknesses, and strengths. The treatment process lasted for a couple of months, and I was allowed to back to my college. The emotional pain was more difficult to get rid of than the addiction itself. However, gradually those feelings of shame, resentment, fear, and guilt left me.

I often wonder about the young teens getting into substance abuse and other risk-taking behaviors. Extreme and addictive use of the Internet is growing, and it is even more essential to understand the neurobiological behind Internet addiction (Brand, Young, & Laier, 2014). I wonder if there is treatment available for Internet addiction. Literature review on risk and protection suggests building effective programs that can be implemented at the multifactorial aspects of the start of the addiction. It is essential to make a dynamic multidisciplinary effort in many contexts (Kempf et al., 2017).

Conclusion

The majority of adolescence is seen getting involved in risk-taking behaviors which can leave a negative impact on them. Drug, unprotected sex and alcohol use some of the risk-taking behaviors that develop based on their perceived social images and peer pressures. The young adult may follow the risk-taking behaviors to get a beneficial outcome but is not much aware of the unwanted consequences. Scientific studies reflect that it is the mismatch in the development of the teen brains that impacts their cognitive and emotional processing and makes them vulnerable and prone to risk-taking. Different factors contribute to risk-taking and decision-making within a young adult. Higher awareness and effective interventions can lower the risks and prevent young adults from developing those risk-taking behaviors.

References

Balogh, K. N., Mayes, L. C., & Potenza, M. N. (2013). Risk-taking and decision-making in youth: relationships to addiction vulnerability. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 2(1), 10.1556/JBA.2.2013.1.1.

Brand, M., Young, K. S., & Laier, C. (2014). Prefrontal Control and Internet Addiction: A Theoretical Model and Review of Neuropsychological and Neuroimaging Findings. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 8, 375. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2014.00375

Giedd, J. N. (2015). The Amazing Teen Brain, Scientific American Retrieved from https://lib-proxy.sunywcc.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aci&AN=102708130&site=eds-live

Kempf, C., Llorca, P.-M., Pizon, F., Brousse, G., & Flaudias, V. (2017). What’s New in Addiction Prevention in Young People: A Literature Review of the Last Years of Research. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 1131.

Lareki, A., Martínez de Morentin, Juan Ignacio, Altuna, J., & Amenabar, N. (2017). Teenagers’ perception of risk behaviors regarding digital technologies. Computers in Human Behavior, 68, 395-402.

Pailing, A. N., & Reniers, Renate L E P. (2018). Depressive and socially anxious symptoms, psychosocial maturity, and risk perception: Associations with risk-taking behaviour. PloS One, 13(8), e0202423.

Ranney, M. L., Bromberg, J., Hozey, A., Casper, T. C., Mello, M. J., Spirito, A., … Linakis, J. G. (2018). Problem Behaviors and Psychological Distress Among Teens Seen in a National Sample of Emergency Departments. Academic Pediatrics, 18(6), 650.

Reniers, R. L. E. P., Murphy, L., Lin, A., Bartolomé, S. P., & Wood, S. J. (2016). Risk Perception and Risk-Taking Behaviour during Adolescence: The Influence of Personality and Gender. PLoS ONE, 11(4), e0153842.

Sadzaglishvili, S. (2017). Adolescent Risk Taking Behaviors: The Case of Georgia. Education Sciences & Psychology, 45(3), 143.

Taylor, M. myra. [email protected] edu. a., Coall, D., Marquis, R., & Batten, R. (2016). Drug Addiction is a Scourge on the Earth and my Grandchildren are its Victims: the Tough Love and Resilient Growth Exhibited by Grandparents Raising the Children of Drug-Dependent Mothers. International Journal of Mental Health & Addiction, 14(6), 937–951.